Posted on 08/21/2002 10:23:19 AM PDT by RCW2001
JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
©2002 Associated Press
URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/08/21/national0316EDT0468.DTL
(08-21) 10:05 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
Looking ahead to the Earth Summit next week, the Bush administration is proposing a nearly $4.5 billion spending plan to help African nations improve their health and environment.
The plan will be presented at the U.N.-sponsored summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, and revolves around the administration's theme that the United States is committed to helping reduce poverty and promoting economic growth in poor countries.
Democrats and environmentalists say it ignores the threat of global climate change and other serious environmental problems.
The U.S. proposal, details of which were outlined to congressional staffers on Tuesday, would provide $3.3 billion over two years for programs to combat infectious diseases. About half of those programs had been approved or announced previously. The money includes funds for Africa and the Caribbean to stem transmission of HIV from mothers to their children.
The proposal also would provide $970 million over the next three years to assure safe drinking water; $90 million next year to African farmers; $60 million for Congo Basin national parks and protected areas; and $42 million to promote rural energy development.
Secretary of State Colin Powell will lead the U.S. delegation to the conference, which is being held to promote means of sustainable development that do minimal harm to the environment.
In a report released to coincide with the summit, the World Bank said Wednesday that participants should agree to act now to ensure that environmental damage and social unrest do not derail expected global economic growth that will reduce poverty.
"Unless the transformation of society and the management of the environment are addressed integrally along with economic growth, growth itself will be jeopardized over the longer term," the bank said in its "World Development 2003," an annual analysis.
The 250-page report focuses on many of the issues concerning the world's poor, which are expected to dominate the 10-day meeting, including clean water, fighting disease, food security, energy and climate change.
Many of the administration's goals -- reducing disease and famine and cultivating energy, clean water and forests -- are similar to a new African development plan endorsed at a Group of Eight summit in Canada in June.
After the hourlong briefing of congressional staffers Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers were quick to criticize the administration's plan for the Earth Summit, saying it does not go far enough in dealing with the problems the international session was designed to address.
"It's testimony to the administration's inaction on global warming that they have to hold a briefing to reveal their smoke and mirrors non-agenda on the most pressing environmental issue facing the world today," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Kerry, who is expected to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, called the Bush summit agenda a rehash of largely old proposals that ignores one of the most vexing environmental issues facing world leaders -- the threat posed by global climate change.
"This administration proposes nothing new to solve the problem or even jump start American leadership in the dialogue (over climate change)," Kerry said.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Anthony F. Rock led the congressional briefing.
U.S. officials also announced Tuesday the government had sent 190,000 tons of food to drought-stricken southern Africa.
The corn, vegetable oil, bean and soy blend for severely malnourished children was shipped earlier this month, said Andrew Natsios, director of USAID.
It will go to feed the hungry in six countries: Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland.
The region is in the grip of its worst drought in 10 years, Natsios said. USAID estimated that up to 12.8 million people will need food assistance between now and March, when farmers harvest.
Johannesburg Summit: www.johannesburgsummit.org
World Bank: www.worldbank.org
©2002 Associated Press
The rock-throwing Dems make me sick.
Let them fix their countries themselves and maybe they'll have an appreciation for what they have.
We should not give ONE LOUSY PENNY to Zimbabwe until Mugabe is overthrown.
That would be the flatulence issuing from your face, Kerry, and from the faces of the other Congressional Rats.
Agreed.
I also agree with another poster that the money won't do much good, as much will be diverted for the benefit of the ruling class. However, sometimes the purpose of a donation is more to help the donor feel good than to do anything lasting for the donee.
Is this more along the line of preparation for reparation?
HERE HERE!!!!!
EBUCK
Agreed! What an evil man he is!
What they forgot to tell us was that the help was amnesty for Illegal Aliens, and CASH send to other Countries.
Jorge Delano Bush Continues the Great Taxpayer funded Givaway...
I give a lot to charity, I just don't pick other peoples pockets to do it. If GWB wants to feel good by helping Mugabe, that's fine, he has a lot more money than I do, but he should leave me out of it. I have better ideas of how to help the needy than giving money to a genocidal tyrant.
Luckily there's not a war going on or anything. Otherwise, some might say this $4.5B could go to better uses.
You want to give it the old college try, do it with your own money. Welfare always produces the same results, even when you call it foreign aid.
Even if it is comandeered by the dictator du jour to enhance his own power?
For instance, the reservoirs of Zimbabwe are full, there is no serious drought, only a dictator that cares not for his own people. You're proud that our Prez is propping up a totalitarian regime like that? The poor starving masses will never see any benefit from it.
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